One of the biggest criticisms of school vouchers is that they take away crucial funding from public schools, making existing challenges even worse. Here’s how:

1️⃣ Less Money for Public Schools
Public schools are funded based on student enrollment—when students leave for private schools using vouchers, the funding follows them, leaving public schools with fewer resources.
Schools still have to pay for teachers, facilities, buses, and programs, even if fewer students remain.

2️⃣ Budget Deficits & Staff Layoffs
With less state funding, public schools face budget shortfalls, leading to:
✅ Larger class sizes (fewer teachers for more students)
✅ Cuts to arts, music, and extracurricular programs
✅ Teacher and staff layoffs
✅ A decline in school quality and student support services

3️⃣ Hurting Rural & Underserved Schools
Most rural areas don’t have private schools, meaning vouchers won’t help rural families—but they will still drain money from local public schools.
Special education programs, which rely on public funding, could lose resources, leaving students with disabilities underserved.

4️⃣ Private Schools Can Charge More Than the Voucher Covers
Even with a voucher, private school tuition often costs more than what families receive, meaning low-income families may still not afford tuition.
This results in taxpayer money being used to subsidize wealthier families who can already afford private schools.

5️⃣ No Improvement in Student Outcomes
Studies in states with voucher programs show that:
❌ Students who switch to private schools don’t always perform better academically.
❌ Public schools left behind suffer from declining resources and staff shortages.
Instead of improving education for all students, vouchers weaken the public system that serves the majority.